Email this article Gender Differences in Career Maturity Among University Students: A Comparative Analysis
Rapid digital transformation demands that university students possess high career maturity to navigate the transition from academic to professional life. Although prior studies suggest that career maturity differs between male and female students due to structural barriers and social role stereotypes, findings on this difference remain inconsistent across cultural and institutional contexts. Most research has examined students in general, overlooking the specific pressures faced by final-year students approaching career transition, and few studies have addressed Islamic higher education institutions in Indonesia, where gender norms may interact with religious and local values. This study examined differences in career maturity, both overall and across its constituent dimensions, between male and female final-year students at UIN Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung. Using a quantitative causal-comparative design, 330 final-year students (165 male, 165 female) were selected through quota sampling. Career maturity was measured using a modified, valid, and reliable version of the Crites-based Career Maturity Questionnaire, covering four dimensions: Career Planning, Career Exploration, Decision Making, and Self-Concept. Multivariate normality and homogeneity assumptions were satisfied, and hypotheses were tested using MANOVA followed by univariate ANOVA for each dimension. Results revealed a significant multivariate gender difference in career maturity (Pillai's Trace = 0.069; p < 0.05), confirmed by significant univariate differences across all four dimensions (p < 0.05), with small-to-moderate effect sizes. Based on mean scores, male students consistently showed higher career maturity than female students across all dimensions. These findings suggest that the difference reflects an interaction among self-efficacy, sociocultural gender-role construction, and the socio-religious campus ecosystem, rather than a dominant or universally generalizable gender effect. As an implication, Islamic higher education institutions should integrate gender-sensitive career counseling and provide professional role models for female students to strengthen exploratory confidence and decision-making self-efficacy, while ensuring equitable career readiness for all graduates.
Keywords: career maturity, gender differences, final-year students.
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